But with India not on the list of 18 approved countries with vaccine certification, Indian travelers to the UK will continue to be treated as non-vaccinated and are therefore required to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.
The central government said the UK’s 10-day quarantine rule for those vaccinated in India is ‘discriminatory’ as it refused to grant quarantine relief for Indian travelers despite recognizing the Kovidshield vaccine.
The UK government had earlier said that COVID-19 vaccine certification from all countries must meet “minimum criteria” and it is working with India on a “phased approach” to its international travel norms.
It follows Covishield, the Serum Institute of India manufacturing Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, being added as an expanded UK travel advisory on Wednesday.
But with India not on the list of 18 approved countries with vaccine certification, Indian travelers to the UK will continue to be treated as non-vaccinated and are therefore required to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.
After much confusion over the process, UK government sources said on Wednesday night that additions or changes to approved country listings were being put under “regular consideration” but needed to approve a country’s vaccine certification. There was no further clarity on the norms.
“As part of our recently expanded inbound vaccination policy, we recognize the following vaccines Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen (J&J) for purposes of international travel. This now includes AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxjeveria and Modern Takeda,” said a UK government spokesman.
“Our top priority is to protect public health, and to reopen travel in a safe and sustainable manner, which is why vaccine certification from all countries must meet minimum criteria, taking into account public health and broader considerations. We continue to work with international partners, including India, to implement our phased approach,” the spokesperson said.
Travelers who have not been fully vaccinated, or have been vaccinated in a country such as India that is not currently on the UK government’s recognized list, will be required to undergo a pre-departure test, day two after arrival in England. And eight will have to pay for PCR tests and self-isolate. 10 days, with an option to “test to release” after five days after a negative PCR test.
In the context of India’s vaccination certification not being recognized despite being one of the two main COVID-19 vaccines administered in India, UK government sources would only say that the rollout of its inbound vaccination program to other countries and territories will continue as usual. was in a “phased approach”, building on the pilots’ success with the US and Europe.
The UK government’s approved inbound vaccination list currently includes 18 countries in addition to the US and Europe: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India, UK discuss vaccine certification process
Meanwhile, talks are taking place in New Delhi between British officials led by CEO RS Sharma and representatives of the National Health Authority in an effort to remove India’s omission from the list.
“@rssharma Excellent technical discussion with @AyushmanNHA. Neither side raised technical concerns with each other’s certification process. Our joint objective of facilitating travel and fully protecting the public health of the UK and India An important step in,” British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted on Thursday.
From 4 October, England’s traffic light system of red, amber and green countries is to be officially phased out, depending on the level of COVID-19 risk. However, despite Covishield now being recognized within the UK’s eligible vaccine formulation, it will not provide any benefit to Covidshield-vaccinated Indian travelers planning to travel to the UK.
At a global COVID summit hosted by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that international travel should be eased through “mutual recognition of vaccine certificates”.
“Covidshield is not the problem, vaccination certificate is”
British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said: “We are clear that Covishield is not a problem. The UK is open to travel and we are already seeing a lot of people moving from India to the UK, be it tourists, business people or be a student.” in a statement on Wednesday.
“We are having detailed technical discussions about certification with the makers of the CoWIN app and the NHS app for both apps. They are happening at a rapid pace, to ensure that the two countries are mutually releasing each other. Recognize the vaccine certificates that have been issued,” he said.
As per the new rules, Indian travelers who have received both doses of the Kovidshield vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India will be considered non-vaccinated and will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days.
In a strong reaction, India on Tuesday warned of “reciprocal measures” if the UK does not address its concerns over new travel rules related to COVID-19 vaccine certification, with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla terming these norms “discriminatory”. Is.
Referring to the latest guidelines to be implemented by the UK government on October 4, another UK official had said that London has no problem with the Kovidshield vaccine, but there are some issues related to vaccine certification in India. The new British rules have triggered widespread criticism in India.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue of the need to quarantine Covidshield-vaccinated travelers in the UK with newly-appointed British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a meeting in New York on Tuesday.
(with inputs from PTI)
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